CHALLENGES OF UZBEK EFL LEARNERS IN PRONUNCIATION

Аннотация

This article examines the major pronunciation difficulties experienced by Uzbek learners of English as a foreign language. The analysis proceeds from the assumption that pronunciation problems are not random classroom errors but systematic outcomes of phonological distance between Uzbek and English, combined with instructional, sociolinguistic, and psychological factors. Recent Uzbek-focused studies indicate that learners encounter persistent obstacles at both segmental and suprasegmental levels: they struggle with English sounds absent from Uzbek, confuse vowel length and quality, simplify consonant clusters, and transfer Uzbek stress and rhythm patterns into English speech.